US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA1079

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KPKO, KDEM, CG 
SUBJECT: JUNE 17 MEETING OF THE CIAT WITH THE ESPACE 
PRESIDENTIEL 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Roger Meece.  Reason 1.4 (b/d). 
 
1. (C) Summary:  The International Committee to Accompany the 
Transition (CIAT) met with three GDRC Vice Presidents June 
17.  President Kabila was absent to attend the funeral of his 
aunt in Lubumbashi.  The meeting lasted over four hours, with 
discussion in some depth covering Transition extension and 
election issues, military integration and restructuring, the 
situation regarding the FDLR, and the situation in the 
northeastern district of Ituri.  GDRC officials spelled out 
both political and security measures being taken to minimize 
the possibility of violence on June 30.  The specifics of 
election preparations were also covered, including the start 
of voter registration.  Regarding the military, discussion 
covered familiar topics, including pay and other support to 
FARDC units.  Congolese officials indicated a full deployment 
plan for newly integrated units has been prepared and should 
be shared shortly.  Regarding Ituri, VP,s Ruberwa and Bemba 
reported that the GDRC will be adopting extraordinary 
provisions soon to allow Ituri officials to retain some tax 
revenues, an overdue measure that will at last enable some 
local government operations to extend state authority in the 
district.  Discussion of the FDLR is being reported septel. 
While long, the session represented a productive in-depth 
discussion in what is by now becoming a regular high-level 
institutional exchange between the CIAT and the highest 
levels of the GDRC transition government.  End summary. 
 
Transition, Elections, June 30 
--------------------------------- 
 
2. (U) Heads of Mission of the sixteen members of the 
International Committee to Accompany the Transition (CIAT) 
met with the GDRC Espace Presidentiel June 17.  Only three of 
the GDRC Vice Presidents (Ruberwa, Bemba, Z,Ahidi) were 
there, as President Kabila and Vice President Yerodia were in 
Lubumbashi for the funeral of Kabila,s aunt who had been 
killed a few days earlier.  Vice President Ruberwa chaired 
the meeting in Kabila,s absence.  The meeting lasted over 
four hours, covering a number of current topics in depth. 
 
3. (C) Initial discussion focused on the recently-approved 
six-month extension to the DRC,s Transition, and the 
attendant prospects for violent demonstrations arising from 
the opposition UDPS party calls for an end to existing 
Transition institutions on June 30.  The GDRC officials 
described political measures being taken to defuse public 
tension, notably increased public education and communication 
efforts.  As well, security measures being put in place for 
the June 30 transition anniversary were described in general, 
with the GDRC officials emphasizing government intentions to 
use police, not military units, to the maximum extent 
possible to control potential civic unrest. 
 
4. (C) Voter registration efforts due to start June 20 in 
Kinshasa were also reviewed.  All parties concurred that the 
operation once underway should also help to convey the 
message to Kinshasa residents that concrete actions are being 
taken toward democratic elections.  (Note: As reported 
septels, the voter registration process has moved very well, 
registering roughly 250,000 voters prior to the June 30 
anniversary).  Discussion was also devoted to the larger 
election calendar and needed preparatory actions, including a 
Constitutional referendum planned for November and a general 
electoral law.  Current planning projects general elections, 
including local, provincial, legislative, and presidential to 
be completed by May, 2006.  The group also discussed the 
continuing gap in funding needed for elections.  The EU 
Ambassador reported that the EU is planning to hold a donor 
meeting July 11 in Brussels to discuss DRC election funding, 
and hopefully secure additional pledges. 
 
Security Sector Issues 
--------------------------- 
 
5. (C) Extensive discussion was also devoted to security 
sector issues, focused on the critically important program of 
military integration, and disarmament, demobilization, and 
reintegration (DDR) activities.  There were extensive 
exchanges regarding major further funding and resource needs 
for training and equipment programs for new integrated army 
units being formed from former belligerent armies, with South 
Africa, Belgium, and Angola taking the lead in pledging 
continued support.  As well, both CIAT members and the GDRC 
officials reviewed the need to equip - and most critically 
support - newly integrated units.  CIAT members insisted once 
again on the need for measures to ensure that military 
troops, particularly those in the integrated units, be paid 
and supported.  Related, the progress of the South Africa-led 
military census exercise was reviewed.  Results reported thus 
far predictably indicate many fewer actual soldiers than are 
claimed on the rolls.  The report of this exercise, however, 
appeared to lead to some confusion by VP Ruberwa and other 
GDRC officials, who appeared uninformed about the South 
African exercise, and spoke about a parallel internal FARDC 
census operation.  The group resolved to ensure the general 
topic received further attention in the next Security Joint 
Commission meeting.  All agreed that completion of the census 
should have an important impact on military salaries, with 
monies previously earmarked for "phantom" soldiers available 
for payment to actual troops. 
 
6. (C) CIAT members also expressed strong concern over the 
lack of a comprehensive FARDC operational plan that would, 
among other things, set out deployments and missions for new 
brigades being trained.  In response, VP Ruberwa reported 
that a draft plan has in fact been prepared, although not yet 
approved by the Supreme Defense Council nor by the Council of 
Ministers.  He expressed the hope that it would be approved 
and ready to share with international partners soon, perhaps 
by the next Security Joint Commission meeting.  There was 
also substantial discussion of continuing infrastructure 
needs at integration centers, progress in associated DDR 
activities, and deployments out of integration centers of 
newly-trained units to permit others to begin training. 
 
Ituri District, and the East 
------------------------------- 
 
7. (C) CIAT Ambassadors expressed dismay at the continuing 
lag in getting GDRC operations and authority established in 
Ituri District.  To-date there has been little progress seen 
to provide budget resources for government operations in the 
District, nor to establish a government presence for border 
controls or other fundamental functions.  VP,s Bemba and 
Ruberwa reported that measures have been approved that would 
allow Ituri District government exceptionally to retain a 
portion of tax revenues for local use, a measure long 
advocated by CIAT members.  (Note: Currently, tax revenues 
from all sources go into a central fund, with set percentages 
returned theoretically to provincial authorities, and on to 
district level government.  In practice, Ituri, as with other 
districts has been receiving almost nothing from the system). 
 CIAT members noted that this step alone could make a major 
difference in Ituri, and encouraged it to be implemented as 
quickly as possible. 
 
8. (C) The threat posed by remaining members of Ituri 
militias also was extensively discussed.  While the number of 
active militia is much less than had been the case several 
months ago, there are numerous reports from GDRC and MONUC 
sources that the militia are now equipped with newer and 
heavier weapons than had been seen previously and seemed to 
be operating with improved and more aggressive tactics.  Both 
Congolese and various CIAT Ambassadors expressed concerns 
about potential Ugandan backing and support for the militia, 
and reports were also noted of apparent continuing free 
movement of Ituri warlords across the DRC/Uganda border. 
Related, VP Ruberwa noted that the first integrated FARDC 
brigade, which has received relatively favorable reviews for 
its performance in Ituri, continues to lack key equipment, 
including communications, which would permit it to be more 
effective. 
 
9. (C) The meeting also included very substantial discussion 
of the FDLR presence in eastern DRC, the lack of results of 
the Rome Sant, Egidio initiative, and future steps.  The 
FDLR issue is being addressed septel, which incorporates 
items discussed in the CIAT/Espace Presidentiel meeting. 
 
Comment: Useful and Now Ongoing Exchange 
------------------------------------------ 
 
10. (C) The meeting, while long, represented one of the most 
substantive exchanges to-date in the series of meetings 
between the CIAT and the Espace Presidentiel. While the first 
such meeting held in late 2004 had been extremely difficult 
to arrange, the sessions have become more regular and appear 
to be accepted by the Congolese participants as an ongoing 
part of Transition business.  Early sessions were formal and 
rather strained, but increasingly the sessions represent a 
real exchange of observations and ideas.  End comment. 
MEECE